It’s the people of Bayonne who put the “community” in the Bayonne Community News. Without these civic-minded citizens, there would be no community news.

We wanted to do the same with a glossy lifestyle magazine that would reflect Bayonne’s values, energy, culture, work ethic, and neighborly spirit.

The magazine debuts at a critical stage in the town’s evolution. A handful of commercial and residential development projects are promising to bring new flavor to Bayonne’s already-bubbling melting pot.

In this issue Doug Stern, developer of the Maidenform factory, talks about bringing artists and young professionals into the mix, and Business Administrator Steve Gallo speaks of Bayonne as the new Brooklyn.

One of these young artists is Bayonne native Jared Hart, who’s making it big in the music biz. That’s him on the cover, before his band took off on a European tour.

But not to worry. The town’s traditions and time-honored establishments endure. We cover many of them in this issue, and you’ll see old friends like Jean Sturz, Chuck Wepner, and Frank Perrucci.

George R.R. Martin is the massively successful author of Game of Thrones, which was made into the HBO blockbuster. Though he was busy with a publicity tour, he spent a Saturday afternoon with our writer, Dean DeChiaro. My guess is that Mr. Martin agreed because he is invested in Bayonne and wanted to visit his old neighborhood. George and Dean embody the many faces of Bayonne. They are both Bayonne natives—born 40 years apart.

There’s much more in this issue. When it comes time to plan our next one, we will be counting on you to send us your ideas. Please email us at XX and find us on Facebook.

Our great thanks to the city and local businesses that supported our debut issue.

Welcome to Bayonne: Life on the Peninsula. We hope to see you and your family, friends, and neighbors in our pages.—BLP